Wayanad’s Meppadi panchayat remains deeply affected by the July 30, 2024 landslides that killed 298 people and wiped out the Mundakkai and Chooralmala hamlets. These events continue to shape the current local body elections. The disaster hit three wards: Attamala, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala. Mundakkai is now a no-go zone, and polling booths there no longer exist. Delimitation merged Mundakkai and Chooralmala into ward 11, with 2,241 voters, including 406 missing due to the tragedy. Survivors, now living in rented homes, are returning to vote. Their trauma still influences their political views. UDF’s outgoing councillor C.K. Noorudheen said, "I cannot face people who have suffered the greatest tragedy of their lives." UDF’s former panchayat president K. Babu also withdrew from the election. In ward 11, the main race is between UDF's Mansoor K. and LDF's K.K. Sahad. BJP’s Vijayan and independent Siddique also compete. Many survivors await homes promised by the government at a new township, but delays have cast doubt on the year-end deadline. The government’s response stirred protests. Survivors formed the Janasabdam Action Council demanding loan waivers, housing, and sustainable livelihoods. Coordinator Nazeer Alakkal said, "Having lost everything—their homes, businesses and land, they have no way to repay their existing loans. Our first demand is a waiver of those loans." Political parties acknowledge the demands but say the government must act. Janasabdam insists on democratic participation, with Nazeer stating, "No one in our movement advocates an election boycott; that is never the answer for the problems we face." Political responses varied. IUML and Congress offered 100 houses each, but survivors rejected the IUML's township housing in Kalpetta. Congress’s housing plan has yet to start. The government’s changing promises—from 1,500 houses to just 451, and fluctuating land allotment—have deepened mistrust. Survivors say relief aid often missed those in need. M.T. Abdul Majeed, a survivor, said, "Several survivors like me did not receive the ₹2 lakh under the government’s micro-plan while some undeserving persons got it." He now works as a daily labourer after losing his autorickshaw. Majeed added, "As the elections approach, we focus on the candidates themselves, not their parties, because none of them seems any different." Political candidates approach voters carefully, fully aware that the disaster’s impact goes beyond politics.